The Fossil Flora of the Winthrop Formation (Albian–Early Cretaceous) of Washington State, USA. Part I: Bryophyta and Pteridophytina
Ian M. Miller and Leo J. Hickey
Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History 49(1):135-180
16 figures, 10 tables
Abstract
A diverse fossil flora of middle to late Albian age occurs in the upper half of the Winthrop Formation of the Methow basin in north-central Washington State, USA. The formation represents a transition from marine to terrestrial conditions within what is inferred, on paleomagnetic and paleofloral grounds, to be an allochthonous tectonic terrane, known as the Baja BC block, which formed adjacent to western Mexico, approximately 3,000 km south of its present position. The fossil plants were deposited in a braided-stream setting, with the richest plant sites occurring just above incipient paleosols and within probable crevasse splays. The flora consists of approximately 145 species in the Hepaticopsida, Equisetopsida, Polypodiopsida, Pteridospermopsida, Cycadopsida, Ginkgopsida, Bennettitopsida, Pinopsida, and Magnoliopsida. Its floral diversity exceeds that of any other contemporaneous paleoflora in the Rocky Mountain region. Sixty percent of the species are angiosperms, with the ferns, the cycads, and the conifers each comprising from approximately 10% to 15% of the total. The present study treats the spore plants of the Winthrop Formation and is the first in a series of three papers to cover the complete flora. This first portion of the flora consists of one species of the Hepatcopsida; two of the Equisetopsida, including a remarkable occurrence of the relict genus Neocalamites; and 19 species of ferns, of which two belong to Blechnaceae, two to Dicksoniaceae, two to Gleicheniaceae, three to Matoniaceae, and 10 of uncertain relationship. Five species in this latter category belong in the problematical Mesozoic genus Cladophlebis. In the uncertain category, we also propose two new morphogenera for sterile fern leaves that will, hopefully, reduce some of the confusion caused by assigning fern leaves with such morphology to living genera. We describe 5 new genera and 10 new species of Pteridophytina here. Overall, the spore-plants of the Winthrop flora are concordant with those of other late Mesozoic floras from North America and Europe.
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A Morphotype Catalogue, Floristic Analysis and Stratigraphic Description of the Aspen Shale Flora (Cretaceous–Albian) of Southwestern Wyoming
Daniel J. Peppe, Leo J. Hickey, Ian Miller and Walton A. Green
Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History 49(1):181-208
24 figures, 2 appendices
Abstract
We describe 28 fossil plant morphotypes from the Aspen Shale flora (Cretaceous: middle to late Albian) in southwestern Wyoming. This impression flora includes 6 ferns, 1 sphenopsid, 2 conifers, 17 dicotyledonous angiosperm (dicot) leaves and 2 dicot reproductive structures. The Aspen Shale megaflora is most similar to that of Subzone IIB of the Potomac Group of the eastern United States. Analysis of the Aspen Shale sedimentology and botanical composition shows occupation of open, paludal sites by a succession of progressively more complex plant communities. Like other middle Cretaceous floras, these data suggest that early angiosperms were weedy, herbaceous to shrubby, early successional competitors to ferns on open substrates. The description and illustration of the Aspen Shale morphotypes is presented as an example of how an entire flora can be described and analyzed before full taxonomic determinations have been made.
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Review of Some Terebelliform Polychaetes (Polychaeta: Terebelliformia) at the Yale Peabody Museum
João Miguel de Matos Nogueira
Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History 49(1):209-234
15 color figures
Abstract
An analysis of terebelliform polychaete materials at the Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale university, revealed 7 species, 2 of which are described herein: Trichobranchus drewi n. sp. and Nicolea lazo-wasemi n. sp. The other 5 species included Enoplobranchus sanguineus (Verrill, 1873), Amphitrite ornata (Leidy, 1855), N. simplex Verrill, 1873, revised status, Polymniella aurantiaca (Verrill, 1900) and Terebella cf. verrilli. All seven species are described or redescribed here, with comparisons to congeners as necessary.
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La Quina Lithic Collections Assembled by the American School of Prehistoric Research at the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History
Douglas P. Park
Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History 49(1):235-244
5 figures, 6 tables, appendix
Abstract
This report examines lithics from the Mousterian site of La Quina in southwestern France housed in the collections at the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale University. In 1921 the American School of Prehistoric Research, newly founded by George Grant MacCurdy, went to La Quina and excavated cultural material, a portion of which was brought back to New Haven, Connecticut, USA. Here the lithic samples from that expedition — including additional La Quina lithics obtained by Yale Peabody Museum through exchange — are described using both metric and nonmetric characters, analyzed for differences as a function of excavation level, and compared to earlier published findings.
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An Instance of Tick Feeding to Repletion Inside a Human Nostril
Gary P. Aronsen and Richard G. Robbins
Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History 49(1):245-248
1 figure
Abstract
A single fully engorged nymphal tick of the genus Amblyomma was collected from the nostril of a field researcher returning from Kibale National Park, Uganda. While unfed ticks have previously been removed from human nostrils, this is the first time that a specimen so situated was permitted to feed to repletion and detach naturally. |
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